Stay With Me
by xSummersx
Summary: How I wish it had ended. Eric and Ariel survive the evil sea witch and are reunited after the battle that would shape the rest of their lives.
1. Stay With Me

**The Little Mermaid is by far my favorite Disney movie. I'm a water-lover, and Ariel always meshed well with me. Makes them both my favorite couple, probably, of all time and of any movie or show.**

 **That being said, I HATED THE ENDING. She loved him too much to watch him from afar, even if she was a mermaid. I didn't believe that Eric, even if he was exhausted, would have allowed himself to sleep until he knew she was safe. And then I HATED THE SEQUELS. I wanted to see a sequel where Eric and Ariel were post-marriage and she got used to life on land. Also, I hated the ending. Lost of hate, I know. I wanted them to have more conversations and get to know each other. I wanted Ariel to be by Eric's side when he awoke from saving her. So that is what this is. This is what I wished would have happened. Enjoy.**

Ursula's screams echoed into silence. Ariel's eyes widened when she heard the scream, but from her vantage point she could see nothing more when the sea witch had billowed over in pain from the Prince's impaling final blow. She was still stuck at the bottom of the whirlpool.

"Eric?" she shouted.

Silence now loomed, despite the fading thunder and rushing water around her. What was happening now? She shouted his name once more. Her heart skipped when her beloved Prince answered her call by shouting her name. Before she could do anything, the whirlpool collapsed around her and the water aggressively threw her into the ocean once more. She was stilled a minute, floating somewhere between the surface and the floor. Inhaling the salt water and filling her gills, she brought her hands up to her head and tried to focus her vision. She realized that all that was in chaos before was now dead calm. Too calm, an eerie transition so soon.

"What happened..?" she started

Her head snapped up immediately upon seeing movement from the surface. Her heart swelled in her chest to see Eric swimming above her. Without hesitation, she bolted up to him with her trademark speed. Upon yards from him, she found no signs of the sea witch anymore, and that he was frantically calling her name.

When she finally broke the surface, she all but screamed his name. He turned around immediately and they locked eyes.

"Ariel!" his voice overflowed with relief, despite his exhaustion.

She immediately accepted his embrace.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his arms tight around her.

"The sea witch," she searched for her past his shoulder. "….where is she?"

"I think she's dead," came his reply.

It was then that Ariel felt his weight become more pressing. The ocean was no place for him on a good day.

"Eric, I've got to get you to shore!" she said quickly. "Here."

He said nothing, and didn't fight her adjustment, putting her arms around his waist and going under water. She propelled him through the waves much easier than he could have imagined. Shore was within sight now. While she kicked with all she had below him, his weary mind started to understand how she was able to save him that night. He often wondered how any girl would be able to save a full-grown man from drowning without drowning themselves. It was a good thing she was a mermaid.

When they reached where Eric could touch bottom she released him as he stumbled a few steps forward. She stayed back and watched him a moment. This was where she could not go. She didn't know what to do now, and certainly didn't expect him to turn around and lift her out of the water.

"Eric?" she gave a shout in surprise when the ocean was suddenly beneath her. He had one arm around her back and the other under her tail.

He stayed silent as he fought through the final inches of deep surf and broke onto the sand. With two or three stumbles, he fell to his knees and turned over in his fall, landing on his back with her still in his arms. He released her tail, and then moved to hold her with both of his strong arms wrapped around her waist and lower back. She stared past his chest in confusion of his actions, while he breathed heavily. His chest moved her up and down with each elongated breath.

"Eric," she said his name again. "What—"

"Ariel bear with me here," he struggled to speak.

The surf was gently lapping up at his knees, it was dead-silent around them except for the water. The storm clouds had dissipated and the stars were out in full. The full moon was early in its rise into the sky.

She had no idea what to do. The fight was over, and so much had happened since she almost kissed Eric on the deck. He knew what she was now. He had saw her. Bringing her up onto the sand with him, he had saw her again, felt her scales beneath his arm. At least, she thought he remembered.

"Eric…" her voice was soft.

What should she do or say? The only thing apparent to her right now was that she was a mermaid and he was a human. The spell that had given her any hope of being with him was gone now, and the reality was starting to consume her thoughts. She subconsciously tried to remove herself from his arms, only to gasp when he squeezed her harder.

"Don't go, Ariel," he started.

She persisted again to get out of his hold.

"Eric…you don't understand," she started. "I'm not hu—"

"I know exactly who you are Ariel," he adjusted his grip on her. "I don't care."

His words halted her attempts to pull away. Did he really just admit he didn't care she was a mermaid? It was probably the most daunting thought on her mind since she saw him for the first time aboard that ship; where her mind started to fantasize about a life on land with him. If he knew she were a mermaid, would he hate her? Would he be disgusted or despise her?

"Ariel," his desperate voice reached her ears. "I'm not going to be awake much longer."

His arms kept readjusting around her as he spoke, but at no time did they lessen their hold. It was like he was trying to gather her up forever and never let her go.

"I need you to promise me you'll be here when I wake up. I'm not going to lose you a third time."

Her heart was racing with each statement of his desire she not leave him. She just couldn't bring herself to believe his sweet words were true. He knew she was a mermaid and all he wanted was for her to stay with him.

"Ariel, please," he said quickly.

She could hear the honest-to-God desperation in his voice as it broke near the end. His breathing was starting to slow and she could feel maybe a hint of his strength, keeping her still, slacking.

"I can't lose you again, Ariel."

Her eyes grew wet. She was starting to accept and understand that he wanted nothing more in the world at that moment than for her promise to stay by his side. How could she ever deny that to the man that had stolen her heart?

"I won't leave," she started softly.

Her hands, which had been doing nothing since he held her, reached up and laid upon one of his arms that had her, and the other upon his shoulder.

"Eric I won't leave you, I promise."

He let all the collective gasps out of his lungs at her promise and released the building tension from his body. He allowed himself to fully sink back into the soft sand with her in his embrace. His eyes shut, finally allowing them what they wanted, knowing she would be there when he came-to again.

She could feel her Prince starting to slip away into sleep below her, and did the only thing she knew how to at the time. She started to sing to fill the silence, to ease his mind and maybe help him find the relief his body was seeking in slumber. Eric couldn't stop the smile that immediately graced his lips when her enchanting voice met his ears once more.

"…your voice," he barely mumbled out. "…beautiful."

It was an amazing peace that was overcoming his body, mind and soul. He had finally found the girl that saved his life, he had her safely tucked in his arms, and he could enjoy that melodic voice once more. Not soon after she began to sing, did he finally drift away completely. She felt his arms around her go lax, which allowed her to slip off his chest to the side of him and finally look at him. The blush hit her face immediately upon seeing the smile on his face, despite being asleep. It was all because of her. She clutched a fist to her heart and breathed to calm her emotions. It was amazing what this man, whom she barely knew, could do to her.

Not unlike when she sang to him the first time, she reached up and cradled his face in her hands and allowed the single tear to fall down her face.

"Oh Eric," she put her forehead to his.

Looking all around her, she found nothing but shoreline and rocks. They were truly isolated from everything, wherever they were right now. She draped an arm over her Prince's chest and snuggled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Exhaustion was getting her, but nowhere near as much as him. She closed her eyes and listened to the beat of his heart before she, too, lost herself in dreamland.


	2. The Search for Prince & Princess

**Thank you to those who reviewed. I appreciate that more than I can say. I love reading reactions, thoughts and comments about what I write. Live for it. Reviews get these updates out more frequently. Enjoy.**

Hours passed. They were dreadful, heavy and miserable hours for the kingdom. They were also hours of absolute disbelief and shock. What everyone on that wedding ship witnessed...

Surely, it was not real. Surely, they were dreaming. Dreaming did seem to be the wrong word though. Was there such thing as nightmaring?

Grimsby and Carlotta stood in the empty and terribly silent dining hall. She sat in one of the dining chairs she had pulled out from the table. Her head was down, eyes staring at her joined and trembling hands. Grim was silent and still, statue-like, as he looked out the large windows that took up the entire wall. The only sounds were the occasional whimper that escaped the woman or a sniffle here and there.

"We have to stay strong Lottie," Grim started, despite himself.

Even talking was a challenge. Seemed like breathing was a chore instead of second-nature. She merely nodded solemnly and finally brought her tear-strained eyes to the back of his head.

"We have to assume he is still alive."

"...and Ariel too."

The elderly man stared at nothing in particular, the darkness had long-since taken over the kingdom. The waves had calmed down from their ravaging since that...creature? Whatever that thing was that threatened to kill the Prince and Ariel...who was a mermaid. Reality would admit they were crazy for even thinking what they witnessed could be true. But there really didn't seem any way it couldn't be true. The emotions were too powerful. And when she was taken by that thing, their prince wasted no time in going after her.

The door opened from the hallway, and both turned to see a guard walking towards them, his hat below his shoulder, gun tucked over his other.

"Any sign of them?" Grim asked a little too quickly.

It was stupid to ask, they both knew, as the demeanor of the man alone told them all they needed to know.

"Still nothing, Sir, Madam," he nodded towards Carlotta. "We've doubled our efforts now. Neighboring kingdoms have been sent word of our plight."

The guard knew his words were pointless. The only thing that would relieve the two, the kingdom, was finding their Prince and the girl alive.

"Thank you Soren," Carlotta barely said above a whisper.

He bowed his head again and left as quickly. Silence reigned.

The search now reached three hours. It started from the sight where the sea witch had appeared on the ship, and was being conducted in a circular pattern outward. The focus was on the ocean, so of course they would remain unfound on the shoreline. However, the shore itself was not close to the palace or kingdom, complicating things even more. It spanned a good two miles out.

Because of this, a certain underwater kingdom was also in distress in finding their missing princess. King Triton had turned back in to a merman once the Trident hit the floor. It took a couple minutes, and in that time Ariel had taken Eric far away to shore. When he came too, he was more than confused. It took Sebastian's frantic calling of his name to stir him from his thoughts.

The crab then slowly and carefully reminded the king of what had happened. Panic and stress were abound when he realized that his youngest daughter was nowhere to be found. He scanned the initial area a few times before reluctantly returning to Atlantica and calling all military into action. Search parties were formed quickly and by the dozens. His familiar phrase of "leave no stone unturned, no coral unexplored. Let no one in this kingdom sleep until she is safe at home," reverberated once again through the underwater paradise. He would have joined the searches immediately, but knew his place was with his family at the moment. So, he slowly entered his daughters' dressing room.

They all sat on the middle flat rock. Their heads were down and their hands were clasped, much like Carlotta was right now. By chance, Attina looked up and spotted him.

"Father," she almost choked.

This caused them all to meet his eyes.

"Girls..."

He swam closer and sat beside them, putting a hand on Aquata who was on his immediate right.

"We have to remain strong for your sister. Remember, it's Ariel we're talking about here," he tried to smile, but found it strained and near impossible to hold.

When he got no responses, he sighed.

"I am going to join the searches here soon. I'm not going to force you to wait here. If you want to join me-"

"I will," Arista's response was quick. "She would do the same for me," she rose from the rock.

One by one, each sister swam up and looked at their father with pleading eyes.

"We're not accomplishing anything by sitting here like crybabies," Attina rubbed her eyes.

He would have been proud, and praised his daughters for their determination and bravery had it been under different circumstances. There would be no real smiles or laughter until they knew their baby sister was alive and well.

So much had happened since her disappearance. And King Triton had finally pieced everything together when he met Ursula and learned of Ariel's deal for a chance at love with a human. While it positively enraged him, his heart had shattered with guilt that he was the one who had driven her to make that life-altering decision. With all that had transpired since that moment, he knew that the only thing he would be able to do when he found Ariel would be to hold her and weep.

When he told his family about why Ariel was missing, the reactions were all over the map. There had been anger, disbelief of course, and sadness. Anger that she abandoned them for a human and sadness that she was willing to even do so. Did she not love them? Her home? After painfully having time to think things over, her choice really didn't seem that crazy. That was just **Ariel**. They knew she loved everything about the world above the waves. Stubborn and always craving adventure. That was just who she was. Though none of them ever thought it was possible for her to actually trust the sea witch, become human and try for a chance at love with a total human stranger.

Back on the shoreline, hidden away from the entire world at the moment, the unfathomable lovers laid. Their heaven a stark contrast from the unknowns their families and friends faced. With a few more laps of tide, wind blowing gently across them, the Prince finally stirred first.


End file.
